Mule Deer Work Picks Up Speed

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has made a commitment to do more for Idaho's mule deer herds. The work on the ground (and at the computer) is well under way, from keenly focused projects to large scale changes in the way the department does business. One of those large scale changes is evident in the new big game hunting rules, which reflect a commitment to mule deer. The new rules allow more antlerless elk hunts. Growing elk herds are occupying important deer habitats. Mule deer generally avoid contact with elk. Allowing hunters to hunt more antlerless elk will reduce the displacement of mule deer. In the Tex Creek Zone (Units 66 and 69), hunters will have three extra weeks of hunting thanks to an October 22 opener. Fish and Game has also added 450 "extra" antlerless elk tags to minimize elk occupancy of important mule deer range. In Southeast Idaho, the extra tags allow hunters to take a second elk in certain areas. Mountain lion hunters will also get more opportunity this fall. Female lion quotas have been increased or removed in 21 hunting units in the Southeast and Magic Valley Regions. Fish and Game has also made changes to deer seasons. The seasons have been standardized to open on October 10 statewide. The standardized seasons are intended to minimize impacts of hunters who move from one unit to another as new seasons open. The October 10 opener also addresses the complaints of hunters who say earlier seasons occur when conditions are too hot and dry. Fish and Game workers and volunteers are involved in numerous habitat improvement projects throughout Idaho, including the focus area of the Mule Deer Initiative. Crews have spent their weekends this spring planting thousands of bitterbrush plants, four-winged saltbush seedlings and other shrubs in areas that provide crucial winter range for mule deer. Volunteer groups consisting mostly of sportsmen and students have planted 53,000 plants in the Southeast Region alone. Crews have planted nearly 20,000 plants in the Upper Snake River Region and 9,000 in the Magic Valley. Landowners participating in the Conservation Reserve Program have also been planting on mule deer habitat. In the Southeast Region CRP participants have planted 20,000 shrubs. Many CRP fields have become monocultures of decadent grass of little use to deer. Reintroducing forbs legumes and shrubs increases mule deer forage. While these efforts greatly benefit mule deer they are also good for a variety of game species and non-game wildlife. Fish and Game managers have also been in close contact with land owners and federal land managers to discuss aspen regeneration. Aspen provides crucial habitat for mule deer, especially during the fawning season. The department is identifying areas where expanding aspen stands will supply the most bang for the buck, and will continue to evaluate aspen stands this spring and summer. One of the more focused projects of MDI is designed to use one animal to help another. Biologists in the Upper Snake River region are working on a way to use beavers to improve riparian habitat that will benefit mule deer and other wildlife. The idea is to transplant beavers in areas with low water tables. The beavers build dams that hold back water, and the water table rises creating a larger riparian zone resulting in additional food, water and cover. While improving habitat will lead to healthier mule deer herds for the long term, the Mule Deer Initiative has some short term goals as well. One of those is to provide more access to deer hunters. Fish and Game is adding hundreds of thousands of acres to the Access Yes! program, which compensates private landowners for allowing open access to hunters and anglers. More than 12,000 acres were recently opened up to access in Unit 56 which is part of the Mule Deer Initiative focus area. Statewide, Access Yes! has now opened 285,000 acres of private land, and that number is likely to exceed 300,000 acres by the end of this year. The program has also opened access to 433,000 acres of landlocked public land. This year's increase is directly related to participation in last year's superhunt lottery. The department is sorting through applications for more Access Yes! property, and is also negotiating for improved access to additional lands in the MDI focus area. The department is also working closely with the US Forest Service to improve access to federal land, where appropriate, and limit motor vehicle access where it might be detrimental to mule deer and hunters. The US Forest Service is drawing up an official travel plan for the future. Fish and Game is an active participant in the planning process, advising forest planners about how the plan affects wildlife and hunters. The plan includes "mule deer security areas" that reduce motorized routes to protect mule deer from over-hunting as well as disturbance at other times of the year such as fawning season and when deer are on winter ranges. "We're working with the forest service to come up with the optimal blend of non-motorized and motorized hunting areas" said big game manager Brad Compton. One of the ongoing projects aimed at managing mule deer herds in Idaho is the fawn monitoring program. Every winter Fish and Game captures and collars fawns. Wildlife technicians then track those deer to better understand how they migrate and how well they survive. In addition to the fawn monitoring, the department began an ambitious adult collaring program. Workers put collars on hundreds of adult deer and elk to keep track of how adults survive various influences including predators. Fish and Game biologists have also been collecting teeth to determine the ages of harvested mule deer bucks. The information they gather will be used to identify prime areas for mature buck management. Wildlife Services, a federal agency, has continued coyote control in the Southeast region under the direction of the Fish and Game Department. Most of that work occurs after coyote hunters have quit for the season. Wildlife Services is planning to hire trappers this spring to intensify coyote removal from fawning ranges. It has been demonstrated fawn survival can improve with focused intense coyote control if the deer herd is below carrying capacity and the number of mice and rabbits in the area is low. While controlling predators can cause a slight increase in fawn survival, wildlife managers say it is not the silver bullet when it comes to increasing mule deer populations "Predator control alone can't improve populations to meet department or sportsmen's objectives, however combined with habitat improvement and other coordinated projects it can help" Compton said. Wildlife managers are also working with the Idaho Department of Transportation on areas of chronic road kill, especially in the Southeast Region, and are looking at options to reduce mortality in those areas. Deer enthusiasts can learn more at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov./hunt/MDI/ where updates appear as soon as available. Those who have an idea or concern about the effort can comment through the web site's email. You can find this article and other updates on Fish and Game programs in the summer edition of "Idaho Fish and Game News", now available at license vendors and Fish and Game offices throughout the state.